[I tried to replicate the gameplay elements of timeline jumps here. Including a "game over section". Hope you enjoy reading!]
I staggered into the REC Room, still struggling to settle my mind down. Tears stained my cheeks, and I could feel the ice-cold droplets fall onto my heart as well. Why did this all have to happen to me...? That was the question that kept zooming around my head. After the conversation with Luna, I had come to realize a startling amount of truths, but the key ones still alluded me, even now... I had no idea why I had been brought to this God-forsaken hell hell of a metal box, or what this ridiculous game had been about. Of course, though, it was a little insensitive of me o call it "ridiculous". Not one, not two, and not even three, but 7 different people had all had their lives cut short thanks to this game Whatever the truth ease, whether it was out there or not, I could tell that it wouldn't be found by me, in this timeliness. I was trapped, completely alone, with no one left. ...Well, No one apart from Zero Jr.
But then again, now was hardly the time to have that rabbit shoving his crap rabbit puns into my face. My head was still reeling from what had just occurred in the garden...That Wonderful Luna had been as human as they came, so to have her time out to be a robot of all things was pretty shocking, to say the least. Still, she was no longer with my any more...She Was not here, in this version of history, and with her death still holding a cold grip over my heart, I just sat there for hours on top of the Pool table. I didn't even notice the passage of time. Why, did she have to go? The sweetest, kindest, most loyal to the end woman I had ever had the fortune to meet and she had to die, just like every other person in this god-damned facility. I didn't care if she was a robot, I didn't care if she was just a bunch of wires and gears. Her love, her compassion, it was real. It had always been real.
"..." After a while, I found my eyes darting down towards the two dead bodies,, the one of the man in the suit of armor, K, with the axe buried deep into his forehead, and the one of the man with the spear thrust through his stomach, Dio, causing him to hang from the wall like a skewered animal. ...Of Course, I couldn't feel that much sympathy for Dio. He was hardly the most likeable of people in the first place, but besides that, he was also the one who murdered the old woman, as well as Clover & Tenmyouji, plus K as well. It might sound cruel of me to say, but when I looked at his body at that moment, I couldn't feel anything but emptiness. The lose of a human life was of course, tragic...it Was always tragic, no matter the person. But most of the sadness I conjured up from the scene in front of me came from the mysterious man in his suit. Of course, his identity remained a mystery, and I assumed it always would. But whoever he had truly been, it was a horrible sight to see him as a victim of this horrible game and it's "purpose", whatever that had been.
...
...Still, Sitting there looking at that sight was hardly gonna achieve anything. Then again, there was nothing really for me to achieve any more. But whatever was the case, I stood myself up from the table, and began to stagger out of the room. I didn't really have a destination in mind. I supposed, most likely due to the shock of everything that had happened, that I had lost focus of a lot of different things. But I staggered to the elevator, and took it up the Floor A. As I did so, I started to get an actual destination in mind The Infirmary. Considering how out of my mind I was right now, this seemed like a pretty good place to go, and possibly lay down. So as soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I set off down the hallway, before taking a sharp right, and continuing down to approach a door on my right.
As I entered, the first thing that hit me was how light headed I had gotten. I had no idea if it was just because I had finally decided on a solid destination, or because being in a place of medicine made it more apparent, but it felt almost like my body was more heavy then it usually was. Not to mention, it could feel my environment beginning to grate strangely on my mind. Of course, I just assumed that it was due to how emotionally cold I had been feeling, but now that I had shoved my ass down onto one of the infirmary's bed's, it became more apparent that it wasn't just my emotions: My entire body was aching.
"Augh...I-I feel...sick."
Mind you, that feeling could very well have come from the two dead bodies that lay in the corner of the room, handcuffed to the drain. In fact, it was cruel to say, but I had almost forgotten about the fact that those bodies were in here. When my eyes laid on them, I felt my heart skip a beat, and I just stared, any sign of life that had previously been in my eyes now completely gone. The two of them just looked like they were sleeping peacefully...at least they would do, if their hands weren't cuffed together, and if blood didn't stain Tenmyouji's hand and Clover's thigh. That was the scary thing about seeing them...They looked at peace. Like they were in an eternal slumber. But the bloodstains, stillness of both of their chests, and the way in which their skin had begun to turn white, showed the horrible truth about death: It's not an eternal slumber. It's the end of the road.
Neither of them deserved to die like this...It was true that Clover had threatened Luna with an injection gun, but I could hardly blame her much for that. If I was in her position, I'd have probably been pretty pissed off too. Maybe not to the point of threatening someone with death, but it was hard to say. It was horrible enough experiencing death with people I had only met 6 hours ago. I couldn't even begin to image how it'd feel to suddenly have your best friend's life snuffed out. As for Tenmyouji, he was going to die someday soon as it was, but he definitely didn't deserve to go out like this.. Of course, I never did find out much about him, but with Quark still alive and in the care of Phi, I was sure that, if stuff like the afterlife did indeed exist, Tenmyouji would be looking down on us with some sort of relief.
stayed their, silent for a few moments. In that moment, I began to contemplate just ending it all. What was the use in continuing to live here, alone? Besides from that annoying asshole of an AI, everyone was gone, either dead or outside of the facility. Besides, there were other timelines out there, where other versions of myself existed. If these mind jumps of mine were actual things then surely me killing myself here wouldn't chance anything. There are better versions of time, where I was sure that everyone was still alive. I was sure that there was even a version of time where I solved all the mysteries of the Nonary Game. ...So this version of myself didn't need to exist any more. I should just end it all. "...I-I...I need to just..end my life."
An image of Phi and Quark suddenly faced through my head causing me to shit my eyes. "No! Phi and Quark are out there! I can't just end it!"
I didn't care if there were better timelines out there. Hell there might not even BE better timelines out there! Even if their were, that didn't do anything to change the fact that this was the reality that existed around me. Phi and Quark were out there somewhere. I couldn't just abandon them! And I knew they wouldn't abandon me either! They would be sure to inform the police or some such people about me, and come back for me. Phi would never just abandon me like this. I had to trust that. If she came back here for me, and I had selfishly ended my life then...
No, I wouldn't let that happen! I'd stay alive, until they came back for me! Even if it took months! Hell, even if it took years! God-damn, I'd wait even if it took decades! Everyone else might be dead, but those two aren't...and that was what I need to concentrate on. They wer
"You were all injected with radical-6"
...
...
["Those inflicted with radical-6 eventually develop a powerful, unshakeable, urge to commit suicide."]
...
"Oh...Oh, oh fuck!"
I found myself cursing before I knew what I was doing. How had I not realized sooner?! If we were all given radical-6, then that means we've all got a deadly viral infection...My suicidal thoughts were already beginning to seep through. That meant... ...I found myself clenching my fists. My optimism from before had completely dissolved and I found it being replaced by a cold, despair filled regret. My throat tightened up, and I felt sweat stream from beads in my skin. "G-God-dammit, they're gonna die...They're gonna kill themselves! God-dammit...Fucking god-dammit!" I let my shut fist fly right into the mirror completely smashing it. From a kinda severe cut on my hand, blood fell, but I couldn't feel any pain. At least, I if I was feeling it, I didn't notice or care. After everything I had been through, if those two didn't survive I didn't know what I would do...Everyone else had already been killed, or killed themselves, in some way or another. Alice, Clover, Tenmyouji, K, Dio, that old woman, Luna...Phi and Quark being alive was my only grip on reality. My only reason why I could even bother to continue this miserable life, stuck in this god-forsaken metal box of a facility
I could feel myself panic, but I tried to calm myself down. I needed to just think. There had to be something I could do. Hopelessness was just a state of mind. Nothing was hopeless, and there was no such thing as "no way out". Pessimism would get me nowhere...punching mirrors would get me nowhere too, although it was too late to realize that now. Nevertheless, I had to think, calm down, and think. I just had to think of anything. Of course if they came back in time, there was still no way to treat the damn infection...Was there...? ...I couldn't shake the feeling that those words were wrong. Was I not remembering things right-
The world shifted, and Luna's voice filled my head.
...
...
...
["The only thing that can cure radical-6 is an anti-viral called axelavier."]
...
["Huh? Something fell out of Quark's pocket? It's label reads... AXELAVIER"]
...
["Oh, he took it out of the safe in the laboratory."]
...
"The Nonary Game has ended. All Doors besides the number 9 door have been unlocked."
...
...
... ... "Of course!"
I suddenly sprinted off at full speed. Or at least, as fast as I possibly could in my current state. If I was right, then I would be able to get into a room called the "Laboratory", and inside that room's safe would be a viral of medicine that could cure radical-6. But that wasn't all...the IG Replicator should be there too. I wasn't sure where these images and realizations had come from, but I could guess: I had pulled information from another timeline. I had gotten kind of used to it by now. Although it was still a mystery, for the most part. But that hardly mattered right now. Why I knew what I did hardly important. The point was, there was a way to cure radical-6!
I didn't know where the laboratory was, but I could guess it was somewhere on Floor B. Taking the elevator down, I looked at all of the Chromatic doors in turn, before shaking my head and deciding to just try them all. Like the announcement had said, all the doors in the facility were in indeed unlocked, meaning I could now access all kinds of different rooms. A strange garden, a pantry, a control room, and...The laboratory!
I grinned and fist pumped the air, running into the room. As soon as I entered, I darted for the safe. It was just like the safes I had encountered in the AB Room, Lounge, GAULEM Bay, and Director's Office. As I tried tom push at the random buttons, just as expected, nothing seemed to work. "Dammit. Gotta get the shitting password to the damn thing." I spat out my words, determination shining in my eyes. If I could solve this rooms puzzles on my own, and open this safe then I could cure my radical-6. Not just mine either...but hopefully Phi's and Quark's too! I would cure all three of us...I wouldn't let anyone else die!
I shuffled the child around in my arms, as I walked, with tears staining my cheeks. We had escaped, and were on our way to freedom, yet I had never fealt more far away from happiness in my entire life. I opened my eyes, and turned my body the other way. I couldn't think about that right now. I had a young boy in my arms. The priority was getting him out of this place. ...Where ever "this place" actually was.
"...Sigma. I'll come back. I promise."
I slowly began to walk, Quark shifting in my arms as I did so, onto the large loading elevator in the centre of the room. As I stepped onto it, a flashing red light started up, and the entire thing shifted, rising up, taking me and Quark with it. The tears on my cheeks, by now, were an after thought. Getting out of here, getting Quark to a safe place, then coming back for Sigma, was what I had to concentrate on. When the elevator got to it's destination, I staggered off, and through the large door that was there. On the other side was a long hallways, and at the end of that, a single door. Shifting Quark so that he was supported over one of my shoulders, I braced myself, before turning the handle and going in...
Inside was what looked like a room that, for some reason, I found vaguely familiar. I wasn't sure exactly why, but that hardly mattered right now. There was a bench there, so I staggered on over to it, and gently laid Quark down onto it. I never noticed before, but carrying him felt almost like carrying a dry piece of wood. It was pretty much no real effort on my part, but maybe that was just the adrenaline in my kicking in. With him resting on the bench, I rubbed my hand through my hair, and began to look around the room. For some reason, all I had on my mind was that damn guy. I couldn't get him out of my head. Why had he done that...? Why did he stay behind, despite knowing he'd be locked away for the rest of his life? Did he really trust that...machine, Luna, that much?
"...I can think about that later. I need to find how out how to get out of here."
Performing a sweep of the room, I came across a binder. Flipping through it, I got a general gist of how the room itself worked: It seemed as though this was the "Pressure Exchange Room". The air pressure inside this entire facility was different from outside. In order to leave the facility, you had to first put on the suits, then undergo decompression, by taking the elevator down to the decompression chamber. As I read, I walked over to the small elevator that the passage was most likely referring too, then pressed the 'down-wards arrow' when I was on it. The elevator shifted to live, and lowered me down. Just like the binder had stated, there was a large decompression chamber, with seemed to be our ticket out of this place. Although, I did find it a little strange. Why exactly did we have to go through a decompression to escape...? Turning the page, I read on, and as I did my eyes widened. I got my answer, but the answer I had been given was the last one I was expecting to see: The air air pressure inside the facility was different from that of outside. This was prevent the virus from getting in. The suits prevents the infection of radical-6 which fills the air outside the facility.
...
remained silent for a few moments. A virus? Could that be...Radical-6? ...I shook my head, to get that train of thought out of it. It didn't matter right now, as much as getting the hell outta here did. All I had to do was find some of the protective suits and then we could get out. Even if the air was full of a virus of some sort, there must be people still alive. Cities, and towns of people. Hopefully one was nearby, and I could get Quark to some sort of a hospital-
"Gyaaaaaaah!"
That train of thought was interrupted by a terrifying scream. It seemed to come from the floor above me, and I recognised the voice...it was Quark. I dropped the binder on the floor, and sprinted sprinted over towards the elevator. Frankly smacking my palm down onto the upwards arrow, I hoped to God that Quark was alright. He had to be...He had to be alright. I couldn't...I could deal with it if he wasn't. If he wasn't I might as well have just...
...
...No, screw that! I couldn't just leave Quark alone! The guy's grandfather was already dead. If he found that out, then...As soon as the elevator reached it's destination, I ran out, and saw that no one was here. "Quark!" I shouted the words out, with a frantic look on my face. He didn't appear to be anywhere in the room, and he obviously wasn't in the lower level either. "Shit!". What had happened? Maybe he had just woken up, and found himself on the bench? After all, from his perspective, he had gone to sleep, then woken up in some strange room, with no one around. But the only way he could have gone, was back through the door that lead into this room. As soon as that logic entered my head, I didn't waste a single second. My legs carried me frantically through the door, and as they did, I could see Quark making his way back through the large door that had take us from the elevator room into his hallways. "Quark! Quark!"
My frantic cries did nothing, but fall on deaf ears. As soon as the gap between the door and the ground was large enough for him to fit through, he crawled under it, and I sprinted down the hall along after him. By the time I had gotten to the door, it was already fully open, meaning I could just pass right on through, and on the opposite side was Quark. He moved slowly towards the edge of the elevator, and I stopped dead in my tracks. "Quark!". The young boy didn't he turn around. He just continued staggering towards the edge of the elevator, towards the gaping hole was was there between the edge and the wall. With the elevator on the highest level, the fall to below was a high one. I didn't believe what I was seeing, but Quark was...walking towards the edge, not looking like he was going to stop. ...When the horrible gut wrenching feeling became too strong, I sprinted towards him, and gripped onto his arm, pulling him back. As I did, I fell backwards, and Quark landed on top of me.
"W-What are you doing?!" I sounded angry, but I was more besides myself with sickness of worry. Quark on the other hand, seemed to not like the fact that I had just pulled him away. He struggled, with his entire aura having taken on a strange, demonic, sick feeling.
"Get off me!" He struggled, kicking his feet at me. "Get me me, you jerk!" He was small, but extremely strong for his age. I didn't have any chance of subduing him, just on my own. Although I tried the best the could, keeping a grip on him, and any sanity he had left. "Let me die! I have to die! I have to die!"
The kid had completely lost it...I had no idea why he was acting this way, but I knew I need to do something. If I didn't then he would...he would...
...
Just imagining such a thing made my gut wrench. Death to anyone was horrible enough to see, but seeing it to a child, especially after everything else I had been through, would tip things over the edge. I tried to keep my grip on him, be he was way too strong. He managed to kick me away, his little foot slamming again and again into my face. "Get off me!" He screamed his words out, frantically. There didn't seem to be any sign of restraint any more. Not the kind that a normal person would process. No sense of restrain on how loud he screamed, or how much he kicked his foot into my face. It hurt, but I couldn't let him go...I couldn't, no matter what.
"Quark, stop! S-Snap out of it, dammit! We can escape! We can get out of here, you don't need to die!" Once again, my words fell on death ears. He just struggled, his almost superhuman like strength for a kid making it more and more impossible to restrain him, with each kid I took.
"Get off me you bitch! Get the hell off me! Let me die, god-dammit!"
The more he struggled, the more he got away from me. Before long, I felt him move away completely. "Quark! Stop! Just stop!". ...
was too late. Before I could get any sort of further restraint on him, he moved quicker then lightning, taking a leap off the edge. With a reflex reaction, I ran over to the edge, and jumped off myself, attempting to catch him mid-fall. As I caught myself around him, I wrapped myself around his body, as well fell, a number of floors down. I knew it was useless to even try...But it was just a reflex. And we both feel down, deep down, a number of floors towards our deaths, like the ride down to hell...
...
...
"Yes!"
I shouted out, in celebration, before coughing a little to myself. It felt strange celebrating when there was no one here to even share the victory with. But whatever, I had gotten the password, which meant I could get into the safe. Even though it had taken me forever to get it, searching this room up and down, left and right, running into frogs, IG Replicators, whatever the heck those were, and other such stuff. As the screen turned green, I glanced at it, nodded to myself, then darted over to the safe, before pressing the password in. When i did, the door to the safe swung open, and fist pumped. If I was right, I'd find what I was looking for in here.
Inside the safe were a number of items. Two of them were the exactly things I was expecting find: A map of Floor B, and two Moon Cards. I had already seen both before, being the exact same things me, Alice and Luna had found within the safe inside the GAULEM Bay. The cards hardly matttered though, now that the game was over, and as for the map, I already had a copy. The third item, however, was something I had never seen before. Well, I didn't think I had, but it did look strangely familiar somehow: A small book that looked like a diary of sorts. Although, it was all written in what looked like Latin, so I couldn't make heads of tails of it. Shoving it into my pocket, I figured that it must be something vaguely important if it was inside the safe. Whatever it was, though, had to wait until later. There were two other items in this safe, after all.
One of them was a key to get out of the room, which, once again, was hardly important now that all the doors in this place had been unlocked. The other though, was exactly the thing I had come here for A vial full of purple liquid. Frantically taking it, I turned it over, and read it's label. " R. Axelavier! This is it!". Just as I had somehow known, a vial of the medicine sat in the safe, now safely within my hands. It was only one vial, but it as better then nothing. With it safely in my pocket I sprinted at full speed, out of that place, out the door I came through, and through to Floor A, and the infirmary. That was where this medicine would be put to best use. ...Although, when I entered...I might as well have ran into a brick wall.
...
... "N-No...H-...How..."
As I staggered over, my throat going dry, as I struggled to keep myself composed. A person lay on one of the hospital beds. A young child, covered in bruises...I swallowed, one of the most painful swallows in my entire life, and keeled down next to the bed. It was him without question. It was the child I had seen seen escape only hours ago with Phi. My hands shook, and I shook my head, slowly, my eyes full of despair, and painful sorrow. "...N-No...No...of, god no...H-How...How can..."
As I slowly raised my hand, my two shaking fingers which I had stuck out were stained with sweat. Placing it against the skin of the child, my eyes suddenly shot open. The cold feeling I had gotten before, went away in with a zap, as I could hardly believe it... ...There was...a pulse. I did the same thing, this time to his wrist, as the horrible despair filled pessimism that had filled my body began to dissolve. Just like the woman, there was a pulse. It was faint but, it was there. It was also then, that I noticed that the child's chest was raising and falling, ever so slightly.
"..He's...alive." I sat back, my heart still racing from the entire ordeal. "...He's alive!". I let out in incredibly large sigh of relief, and just let the feeling of relief wash across my body for a while. With everything I had seen, seeing him here again was something that gave me a feeling of hopefulness. But this raised one very strong question: What the hell was he doing back? Not only that, but where the hell was Phi? Has she, brought him back? Was that even possible? Looking at the child on the bed, I then glanced over towards the body of Tenmyouji in the corner of the room. It was a good thing he was sleeping right now, otherwise... ...Whatever the case was, he wasn't dead. That was at least a good thing. And if he was here, there was a chance that Phi was alive somewhere out there too. Maybe somewhere outside of this facility.
Taking the vial out of my pocket, I stared at it. I was hardly a doctor, so I had no real idea how something like injection of a medicine was supposed to be performed. I looked around the room, for anything that could possibly be used to inject things into people's veins, and I eventually found something:; What looked like a ray gun of sorts. But upon seeing it, I suddenly remembered when Luna had used the strange gun to inject the soporil into Quark. This was it: an injection gun. I hoped I was doing things right, as I placed the vial onto the end.
"So, all I have to do is place it into his arm, pull the trigger, and it'll inject the medicine into him?". That was what I had seen Luna do earlier on, so I assumed that was how it worked. As I walked over to him, and placed the needle against his arm, I suddenly realized just what I was doing here. There was only one vial of medicine, and this thing used the entire vial in one go: Which meant that after I saved Quark, there would be no more axelavier. I would have to...
...No, that didn't matter. Quark was a child. There wasn't any choice, about what I was going to do. There had never been any choice. Quark was the most important person to save here. I was sure Phi would feel the same way. ...Then again, if he woke up in this place, and found everyone dead then... ...Was that right to do? Could we just leave him? He'd be alone in this palace, to find his grandfather dead. That wasn't something I could just bring myself to do to him. ... ...Just as I was questioning this, the door to the the infirmary opened, and into the room stepped the one person I wanted to see above all else right now.
"P...Phi!" As she stepped in, I gently chucked the gun in my hand onto one of the bed's and ran over to her, before hugging her. As I did, I heard her moan in pain, Pulling back, I could see why:; Her body was covered in bruises, just like Quark's. As I let go off her, she gave me a bit of a smile, before gently staggering over to a bed, and lumping herself down onto it. "...So this is where you were. Heh, figures." She almost sounded like she was scared, but trying not to let it show. As I tried my best not to let exactly how much this was affecting me emotionally become apparent, she closed her eyes, almost like she was complacent. "W...W-What happened...?"
That was all I could think to say in that moment. As I did so, I could hear Phi let out a weird sort of chuckle. After a few moments of silence, she launched into an explanation... During it all I just sat, in silence.
"We escaped...out the Number 9 Door. But like you know, you stayed behind. ...I was upset, but I kept going. We ended up in...what was apparently a decompression chamber. It seems the world outside has some sort of viral infection. Radical-6, most likely. Anyway, I was about to go when...I heard Quark scream. He was...suicidal. I don't know why, exactly. But he tried to throw himself from the edge of the elevator that was there. I tried to stop him, but he was too strong. He...jumped.
I acted on instinct. I leaped off the edge, and caught him mid air. But we both fell. Two floors, to floor B...
...
I opened my eyes after my body smacked against the floor. I hurt all over, but I was alive. I had no idea how I survived a fall like that. But both me and Quark, somehow, had. Anyway, I picked him up. That was when I noticed we were on the opposite side of that big rusty door in the Floor B Warehouse. As I examined it, I noticed there was a way to get it open. That was when it occurred to me...The number 9 door may lock forever when the game is over, but that rusty door would still open. That meant I could get back in.
We entered, and I headed straight for the Infirmary. I needed to lay Quark down on one of the bed's there. The fall had knocked him unconscious, and he also had bruises across his body, so that was the most logical thing to do. When I got there, I hoped I would find you but you were nowhere to be seen. I left Quark there. Yes, before you say it, I knew there was a chance that he would wake up and see Tenmyouji's body. But...I thought the positives were bigger then that negative. Anyway, I waited for a while, hoping you'd come back, but you never did. So I went off looking around for you. First of all, I went to the B Garden. That was when I saw...Luna. Or at least, what was left of her. I wondered what had happened, but I could guess...Anyway, after a while however, I decided to just come back."
"...That was when I came in, and you hugged me. Which was a shocker." After her long winded explanation, she sighed. My mind reeled to make sense of everything she had told me. Quark's suicidal episode, was likely because of Radical-6...And, of course, now that the number 9 door was locked tight, and that they were all on this side of the door in Warehouse B, they were all trapped inside this place. But the part about the two of them surviving the fall sounded extraordinary. In fact, it reminded me of Phi's superhuman jumping abilities. Could the two be related? ...I sighed, and slumped down onto the floor, sitting on my ass. There was little else I could do really.
"...I'm sorry, Phi. I'm sorry for what I did." I knew my apology wouldn't seem like much, but I knew I could at least try. "...I just...there was just...something I had to do. I couldn't leave Luna behind. I just couldn't."
Phi didn't look at me. Instead she just stared up at the ceiling as she responded. "...So was she the killer after all?" After those words came out of her mouth, though, she shook her head. "No. That hardly matters now. She's dead, like the rest of them. We're all that's left." I knew the answer of course, but it was like Phi said...now it didn't matter. We were trapped in here, and whether she was a killer or not had no real relevance now. "...One question: What were you doing? You know, when you came in. You had that injection gun pressed to Quark's arm."
I looked over at Quark, laying peacefully on the bed. Of course, what I was doing must have looked at least a bit suspicious to her. Quickly, I launced into an explanation, about how we all had radical-6, and that Quark's suicidal episode was likely caused by radical-6, just like it had been the previous time. And about how there was axelavier in the safe in the laboratory, and how I was about to administer it to Quark, when she came into the room.
...
"...Like the previous time? Axelavier?" Phi raised a brow, obviously very confused. She seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. It was then that I realized...all that information was information I shouldn't know. How did I remember that Quark had gone berserk? How did I have the memory that Luna injected him with soporil? How did I know there was axelavier inside the Lab? Was this...like last time? I had taken information from another 'version of events'?
"...U-Uh, I..." I shook my head. All the details didn't matter. Instead I just explained what I knew. About how radical-6 makes it's subjects try to kill themselves, and how axelavier was a cure of it. I also told her that Luna had informed me about the fact we all had radical-6 in the B-Garden. As for the 'previous time', I just told her straight out; I remembered something that didn't happen. "Look, how I know everything doesn't matter. Think about it, would I lie to you right now? What'd the point be?"
After a few moments of silence, she sat up and placed a finger curiously to her chin. "...True. We can worry about that latter, besides. If what you say is true then..." She pointed towards the injection gun. "...we've got a way to cure radical-6."
I shook my head. "Oh, right. I forgot to tell you. You see, the injection gun uses an entire vial. So we can...only inject one of us." When the words were out of my mouth, I saw Phi's face drop a little. She seemed to have hoped we could cure all three of us, but that didn't seem likely as things stood. "...So it's either 'leave Quark alone, in a facility', or ' save one of us'. ...Damn."
...For a few moments, there was pure silence, as both of us thought about our situation. I was eventually the one to break the silence. "...Oh, yeah. I did find this too." I had almost forgotten about it, but there was also that small book inside the same safe as the vial. Taking it out of my pocket, I handed it over to Phi, be curiously took it. "It's written in Latin, I think. Can't read anything, so not sure what the hell's in it." When the words were out of my mouth, Phi looked up at me, renewed interest spreeding across her face.
"Latin?" Opening it, her eyes scanned the pages. "...I can read Latin. A little, at least."
I was rather surprised. That wasn't something I was expecting, but if that was the case... "You can read it?"
As Phi continued to scan her eyes across a number of different pages, she shook her head. "No. This isn't a personal diary or anything simple. It looks...complex- ...Wait." She stopped flicking through pages, as her eyes scanned from left to right. Eventually she looked back up from it at me, and nodded. "I can read this page. Page...216."
After those words, she began to read, paraphrasing the information inside the journal:
"Radical-6 slows the subject's brain processing speed down by a root of one sixth. This means, for roughly 2.45 seconds in real time, an infected human would process this as 1 second. Thus, 2 minutes and 27 seconds in real time is perceived as 1 minute to a patient infected by Radical-6. Those who are inflicted with radical-6 eventually develop a powerful urge to commit suicide. It is not known why this occurs, but one theory holds that in increased rate of information processed by the brain causes the urge to take their lives in infected patients. An anti-viral medicine made from the antibodies of those immune to the virus is in development, but it will not be ready until 2034. The bodies of those dead from suicide line the streets of every town and city. The foul stench, drives crows to them in plenty. Those who have survived are being kept in special quarantine facilities. They are the last hope for the human race...Oh god, please...let their futures be a bright one..."
...We both sat there in silence for a brief moment. There wasn't anything to say that could even express how I was feeling from reading something like that. Eventually, Phi broke the silence this time. "...That's odd." She looked over at the injection gun, in which sat the viral of medicine. "According to this...that medicine shouldn't exist until 2034. And this was written on...December the 31st. No year, though."
"Does that mean it was written on...31st of December this year?" I was pretty confused. I had gotten kidnapped on the 25th of December of this year. If that diary was from the 31st of December, then it'd mean that this was at least the year after that...So we had been asleep for a long time...? How long exactly? But the medicine exists, doesn't it? How was that even possible? Not only was this diary from the future, but so was the medicine. "So, what the hell year is this? And to top it all off, we've all got radical-6 but apparently people with radical-6 have slow processing." I looked around the room, then back at Phi. "But look at us. We're both fine. Everything is going normal speed to me."
There was silence again, for a while. Until Phi spoke, with a dismissive, "That doesn't matter." She got up off the bed, and looked at me, in a way that almost seemed to hint that I should do the same. "We'll have plenty of time to think about it, if we don't die. What matters now is that we have radical-6 and we have a vial of axelavier."
I stood up, and nodded. She was right of course. If we somehow survived this, we could worry about the details of everything later. Heck, we'd have decades to think about it, assuming no one came and rescued us. But the same problem as before still existed...
"...Who's going to get the axelavier, then?"
Phi thought for a moment, seemingly thinking about something. "Do you remember what it said about axelavier in that journal? It's made out of antibodies."
I nodded. Although I hardly saw her point, I couldn't help but get a quick flash of something in my head...What was it, exactly? "Immuno..."...something. Why could I remember something like that?
"Antibodies of those not affected by radical-6. Antibodies are, like...your bodies defences, right?"
I could tell that Phi was just grasping at any lead she could, but maybe that was best right now. One way or the other, as things stood, all three of us surviving seemed like it was going to be impossible, and all the opinions we had were far from a fore-drawn conclusion. "Yeah. I think they're also called...immuned-goblins. Or something like that."
..."I...Immuned-goblins? W-What...?-"
...
...
...
["Anti-viral medicines are developed from immunoglobulins that can naturally combat the virus."]
...
... "immunoglobulins."
The strange, scientific word entered my mouth and I was saying it before I knew what I was doing. How I knew such information I had no idea, but with Phi's surprised response, I reiterated it. "It's immunoglobulins. Antibodies are also called immunoglobulins. Not...um, immuned-goblins."
Phi looked at me with surprise, but I just shrugged. By now she had probably gotten used to me just sprouting out stuff I shouldn't know. I hoped she wasn't suspicious at least, but that hardly seemed likely. I'd be suspicious myself if she was the one doing it. The suspicious at least should wait until later though. Right now...we had to save all of us...there had to be a way...there just had to.
Our time wouldn't last forever. We had to come up with something...But what?!-
...
...
...
["IG = Immunoglobulin."]
...
...
...
"...OF COURSE!"
The information entered my mind, and it all just seemed so obvious, like it was something I should have realized sooner. IG was immunoglobulin. I...I could see a note in my head, that said as such. I could remember that note, clear as day. "Immunoglobulin! IG is immunoglolbulin! It's an immunoglobulin replicator!"
My loud bombing voice seemed to taken Phi by surprise, and she put a hand on one of my shoulders. "W-Whoa whoa, Sigma, calm down a little. W-What the hell are you talking about?"
As quickly as I could, I explained to Phi about the IG Replicator I had found in the Lab as I was trying to get the axelavier, and about how I was sure as I could be that IG stood for immunoglobulins. After I was done explaining, Phi's face shook alive again, with something that look akin to hope. "W-Wait, so you're saying that..."
I nodded, before hurriedly picking the injection gun up. "Axelavier is made from immunoglobulins. That machine-thing can make copies of it! All we need to do is copy this two times...and we'll have enough medicine for all three of us! Come on, let's go!"
I was about ready to run out the door, when Phi stopped me. "Hold it. One of us needs to stay here with Quark. In case he wakes up." She was right of course. And considering her injuries it hardly seemed fair to make Phi herself run to the lab, not to mention I knew more then she did anyway. "You're right. Then look after Quark. I'll be back soon!-"
"Wait."
I turned to leave, but Phi shook her head. "You look like shit. ...Maybe that wasn't the best way to word it. But you get what I mean. Plus you've got a nasty cut on your hand." I knew what she meant, but her words did come across as a little...blunt to say the least. But with how much I had been running around, not to mention all these emotions, and all this drastic thinking I had been doing, I probably looked like a wet sock by now. Not to mention I had actually completely forgotten that I had even punched the mirror, and gotten that nasty cut. Now that I looked down at my hand though, I suddenly saw something shocking. "I-Is this...white blood?!". There was indeed, white liquid falling out of my cut...I hadn't even noticed before. And as much as it was shocking to me, I looked up at Phi, scared that she would find it suspicious. She obviously noticed, since she just shook her head. "Right now I don't care if you bleed pink blood. What's important is the axelavier. I'll go. The lab right, near the safe? You need a rest. And I'm hardly even hurting any more." She casually pointed towards the young kid. "Besides, if Quark wakes up, you would have a better job of subduing him then I would. Even with the age difference."
...Age difference? That was a strange way of putting it. After all, she didn't seem that young then me, and I was only 22. But whatever the case was, she did have a point, and I couldn't think of a good counter argument. Still I didn't want her to tax herself out either, so I began to shake my head. "N-No, you've been through a lot. Please, just rest. You need it-" Phi herself, just walked over to me and gently took the gun with the vial in it from my hand. "Sorry but no." She casually placed the vial in to a pocket. "Thanks for the thought though. I...appreciate it." Her smile was like the sun, although there wasn't much I could do to protest.
With that, she left the room...
...
...
About 10 minutes passed, and I began to worry. She was taking her time, and I just couldn't shake this feeling, like something horrible had happened. ...I felt bad about leaving Quark alone though, so instead of just going to check, I decided it'd be best to take Quark with me. I shifted him into my arms, and then made my way out of the infirmary...
When I entered the lab'...I might as well as hit a brick wall. Everything within me went cold, and I could feel the horrible sense of despair wrap it's claw around my optimism and destroy it all, ripping it to threads. "O-Oh god...oh, fucking god, no...O-Oh god...w-why...". The child in my arms, just dropped, as I let my arms flop down.
...
...Phi lay cold on the floor, her chest as still as it could be. Blood poured out of her chest...It didn't take long to to see what had caused that fatal wound either. A bloody scalpel lay on the floor. In the IG Replicator, sat two bottles of medicine...It was clear what had happened. She...she had sub-come...to radical-6.
"...O-Oh god no...F-Fuck...Why? Fucking why?"
I gently picked the scalpel up, and held in my shaking hands. ...I could see...I could see her her face, and her voice, just a few moments ago. Alive...she had been alive, and now... "O-Oh god...t-this is it...I-It's over...It's all over..."
Something in me snapped. And I gripped the scalpel tight. "...I-It's all...it's all over..." I reached up into the machine for the axelavier. Taking both of them in to my hands, I shook, my eyes full of nothing but emptiness. My heart, was completely cold and I could feel nothing...I shoved one of the vials into the injection gun, and forcefully jabbed the end into Quarks arm, before pulling the trigger. After I was done, I threw the injection gun away, and stood up...The other vial was in my shaking hand, but I threw it to the ground, causing it to smash and the contents to spill across the already bloody floor.
"...H...Hahaha...Hahaha...!" I laughed, a deep sick laugh. It was...almost pleasing...I was going to die. Radical-6 was going to get me, and I would slowly have the grip of death draw that scalpel to my throat...I would kill myself, and this would be all over. ...I would die...I would wake up, and this would end. I was scared of death, of killing myself, but I knew that was what I wanted. ...Radical-6...would help me. It was ironic, after being so scared of it. It would HELP me, by forcing me to take my own life. I would die..And it would be all over. ...
...
[GAME OVER...]
...
I was about ready to run out the door, when Phi stopped me. "Hold it. One of us needs to stay here with Quark. In case he wakes up." She was right of course. And considering her injuries it hardly seemed fair to make Phi herself run to the lab, not to mention I knew more then she did anyway. "You're right. Then look after Quark. I'll be back soon!-"
"Wait."
I turned to leave, but Phi shook her head. "You look like shit. ...Maybe that wasn't the best way to word it. But you get what I mean." I knew what she meant, but her words did come across as a little...blunt to say the least. But with how much I had been running around, not to mention all these emotions, and all this drastic thinking I had been doing, I probably looked like a wet sock by now. "I'll go. The lab right, near the safe? You need a rest. And I'm hardly even hurting any more." She casually pointed towards the young kid. "Besides, if Quark wakes up, you would have a better job of subduing him then I would. Even with the age difference."
...Age difference? That was a strange way of putting it. After all, she didn't seem that young then me, and I was only 22. But whatever the case was, she did have a point, and I couldn't think of a good counter argument. Still I didn't want her to tax herself out either, so I began to shake my head. "N-No, you've been through a lot. Please, just rest. You need it-" Phi herself, just walked over to me and gently took the gun with the vial in it from my hand. "Sorry but no." She casually placed the vial in to a pocket. "Thanks for the thought though. I...appreciate it.". Her smile, at that point, was like the sun. Although, my adrenaline was at such a high right now, I felt like a lion, on it's last, 9th life trying to survive-
...
[Memento Mori, when the nineth lion ate the sun]
...
[Remember death...]
...
[The sun...]
...
[Memento Mori...]
...
[...The nineth Lion...]
...
[REMEMBER DEATH WHEN THE NINTH LION ATE THE SUN]
...
It was as though something inside me had just shattered, and I could see Phi's dead body laying on the floor.
... "Wait!". Phi stopped, and spun around. She looked a little bit pissed off, at my constant protests. But I had the feeling like letting her go would lead to something horrible. I wasn't sure why, but I could see her death in my mind. "What is it?"
"..." I just stood there for a while. Before thinking. Even if I went, and she stayed here, she'd still sub-come to Radical-6. ...And I hardly doubted that she would very easily just let me inject soporil into her, to get her to go to sleep. There was only one thing I could do. I couldn't leave her here, and at the same time even if we were together, there was no guarantee that I'd be able to subdue her. She was a fully grown adult, so she would be able to out power me, no doubt, if she was that determined. "...I'm sorry, Phi...But this is for your own good."
"Huh?" With a breathe in, I launched my fist into his gut as hard as I could, causing Phi to let out a cry of pain.. "S-Sigma...W-What the hell are you..." She coughed, as she collapsed to the floor, into a pile. ...And eventually, she lay still.
...
checked her pulse, and it was still there, thank god. Picking her up, I laid her down gently onto the bed next to Quark's. I felt bad for having to do that, especially given the injuries she already had, but it unfortunately had to be done. Nodding to myself, I took the injection gun and placed it into my pocket, before picking quark up into my arms. Preferbly, I'd have liked to take both him and Phi, but such a thing didn't seem like it'd even be possible. In any event, I took off out of the Infirmary and to the labartory.
...
When I arrived there, I set Quark down gently on the floor, then headed over towards the IG Replicator, taking the vial out from the end of the injection gun. "Okay, so all I think I have to do is place this in here, and...then it'll fill up this vial here with axelavier.". Doing as such, I waited for a few moments, until the machine had finished doing whatever the hell it was that let it replicate immunoglobulins, before the hatch on both sides opened to reveal two full vials of medicine. "Good, it worked! Now..." I just needed to make one more copy, then I'd have enough to cure all three of us. Although, that'd require an empty vial, which meant I had to first inject one of the vials of medicine into either me or Quark.
Taking one of them, I shoved it into the end of the injection gun, and turned towards Quark. There was no question about it Curing him was my top priority. Then, of course, it was getting a cure to Phi...I could worry about myself after that. Kneeling down next to Quark, I pressed the needle into his arm, then pulled the gun's trigger, causing the axelavier to enter into his veins. At least, I assumed as such. That just left one more replication, and I could take us both back to the infirmary.
Repeating the replication process once more, I took the two bottles of axelavier and placed them into my pocket. "Alright, now to get back to the infirmary!"
...
I entered the infirmary with Quark in my arms, to find that Phi was still laying where I had left her on the bed. I let out a breath I didn't even realize I had been holding out of relief, and placed Quark back down onto the same bed where he had previously been laying. Taking the two vials of axelavier from my pocket, I placed one of them onto the work bench, then shoved the other one into the injection gun, before injecting it into Phi.
Lastly, of course, was myself. With the final vial in my hand, I smiled, and put it into the end of the injection gun, before placing it to my own arm. I always hating injections as a kid, but this was one injection that I definitely was looking forward to. With the needle in my arm, I squeezed the trigger, then took it out again. ...
That was it. I had...I had given us all the anti-viral medicine. We...were all cured.
...
...With the adrenaline evaporating from my body, I slumped down into the ground, and placed a palm to my forehead. "S-Shit...W-We're all alive." I let out a slight chuckle, out of relief, and then stood up, and looked down at both Phi and Quark. I knew what I would feel, but just to make doubly sure, I checked both of their pulses, and sure enough, I felt a pulse each time. Slumping my ass down onto a bed nearby, I closed my eyes, and just rested for a little while. This entire ordeal..There was still so much I didn't know. So many people who had died, and so many things I would never find out. But...Phi, and Quark were both alive. And this was his live now. What choices he could have made, what version of events he could have experienced didn't matter. What mattered, was that this was where he was. He wasn't sure what would happen now...In fact, there was still a lot to do.
A lot of investigating to do, of this place...A lot of explaining to do, when Quark woke up...A lot of years to live, hoping that someone would eventually find us in this metal box, and get us out of here. A lot of living to do, with just the three of us, here, in a strange unknown place, in a strange unknown year. Not to mention there was still the fact my hand was somehow bleeding white liquid...Was I, not even human? It didn't matter though. Not any more. This was the me, who existed, here and now. No matter what I did, I couldn't change that...This me would always exist, and this was...had two people to look after.
I opened my eyes, and looked at both Quark and Phi. It was strange, but all my life I wondered if I would end up spending my later years living with a woman and a child. ...Obviously I didn't anticipate it being like this, and this wasn't exactly the situation I had in mind, when I always imagined about living with a woman and, and a young kid. But this was what fate had given me- No. That was wrong. This was what my choices had given me. I was alive...in this facility, with Phi and Quark. It was going to be a messy business having to explain to Quark that his grandfather was dead, and that he'd have to spend his life living here with us, with the constant but unlikely hope of rescue. But, we would be here for him at least. Me, and Phi. And we would find out why we're here. If it was the last thing we would do. Living here was hardly ideal, but there was at least food, water, a place to sleep, to get better when sick, and REC room for stuff like pool, and listening to music...And I wasn't alone. That was the key part.
Looking over towards the bodies of Tenmyouji and Clover, I titled my head. "...Maybe...Maybe I should bury them." It had never really occured to me before, but I had to do something for everyone who had died. They all deserved the best burial I could given them...Getting up, I walked towards Quark. "...Don't worry little guy. I promise, Tenmyouji's soul will rest in peace." Taking him into my arms, I slowly took him towards the crew quarters, placing him down onto the bed in Room 1. I did the same for Phi, placing her on the bed in Room 3, before entering Room 2. ...There laid Alice who had taken her life, due to radical-6.
"...I'm sorry you had to take your life like that. I promise, I'll find out who gave you that god-awful disease, if it's the last thing I do."
I didn't feel right about touching a dead body, let alone a female's one, but I took her body into my arms anyway, and took her to the B Garden.. Walking back to the infirmary, I got the handcuffs off Clover and Tenmyouji, by breaking the pipe. "...Don't worry Tenmyouji. I'll look after Quark. Clover, thank you. Thanks for giving me that lead with your last breathe."
...Next was the old woman's body, which also laid in the infirmary. "... ...I don't know who you are, but I'll find out. I swear it."
...
...After that, I made my way to the REC room, and as best I could dragged K's extremely heavy body. I was determined to get him to the garden for a burial, to rest his soul, if it was the last thing I did. "...K. I promise, I will not let your death be in vain. I'll find out who you are. For your sake."
After I was done with that, I went back and took the speak out of Dio. He wasn't exactly the person I was the most optimistic to be giving a proper burial, but every one did deserve one. Even if he wasn't someone I liked...at all. "...I hope you're in hell right now." That was all I could find it in myself to say, as I picked his body up in to my arms, and carried him also towards the garden.
...
...Now that everyone was there, I also picked up Luna's GAULEM skeleton, and sighed, as I looked down at her in my arms. A few tears fell down out of my eyes, as I just softly said, "Thank you Luna...for everything." I took the spade, and began to dig. Flinging them all into a ditch seemed...cruel. It hardly seemed fair, to any of them. Apart from Dio, that is. But...still, this was the best thing I could do. But I promised to myself, there and then...I promised, that as long as me, Phi and Quark were alive, their deaths were not in vain. "I will find out why we're here. I'll find out what heartless bastard thought all this was okay to do. I'll find out what year this is, where we are, and what the hell any of us have to do with whatever sick plan they had here. I promise."
...With that, the rest of my life stuck inside this metal box, with the two only people I'd ever see again, began.